Veronica J.T. Goodson

Veronica Goodson is an associate in the Litigation Department of the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, with a focus on environmental regulation and litigation. Her experience includes assisting companies in enforcement proceedings before state and federal regulators, counseling clients on self-reporting under the EPA Audit Policy, developing compliance plans, and managing internal investigations and litigation. Veronica has worked with companies to assess compliance and defend enforcement actions and litigation involving a variety of environmental programs, including the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA/Superfund). In addition to her experience with federal programs, Veronica has helped clients navigate compliance and enforcement interactions with state environmental regulators, particularly in California.

Representative experience includes:

• Represented Mercedes-Benz in an investigation relating to compliance with Clean Air Act requirements governing emissions after-treatment and in related settlement of civil claims with the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California Attorney General, the California Air Resources Board, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. United States v. Daimler AG et al. (D.D.C. 2020) & California v. Daimler AG (D.D.C. 2020).
• Defended upstream oil and gas company in an enforcement action by the United States and the State of New Mexico relating to emissions from the company’s production facilities. The consent decree resolving the case contained one of the first Supplemental Environmental Projects approved by U.S. DOJ and EPA since the policy was reintroduced under the Biden Administration. The vast majority of money committed under the consent decree went directly to improved operations and projects that benefitted the environment and local communities through reduced emissions. United States & New Mexico Environment Department v. Matador Production Company (D.N.M. 2023).
• Advising automobile manufacturers on a variety of regulatory compliance issues, including on-board diagnostics (OBD), substances of concern (e.g., TSCA), emission-related warranty and defects issues, and emerging issues related to electric vehicles—including range testing, ZEV credits, and warranty.
• Advising companies across industries—including in chemical manufacturing, applied research, and upstream oil and gas—regarding self-disclosures under the EPA Audit Policy.

In addition, Veronica maintains an active pro bono practice on LGBTQ issues. During contested FOIA litigation on behalf of an LGBTQ advocacy organization, she helped secure the release of documents regarding a government agency’s revocation of anti-discrimination policies that protected transgender individuals and pregnant people seeking healthcare. In addition to obtaining the documents, Veronica successfully advocated for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs under FOIA’s “prevailing party” provision. Veronica also works with LGBTQ asylum seekers through the firm’s pro bono program.

Veronica graduated with high honors from The George Washington University Law School and was elected to the Order of the Coif. She served as a Notes Editor of the George Washington Law Review and a Dean’s Fellow legal research and writing instructor. Veronica received her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Texas A&M University.

From 2009 to 2015, including while attending law school, she worked for a U.S. Intelligence Community component. From 2014 to 2015, Veronica was a special assistant to the component’s chief information officer, responsible for coordinating strategic information technology projects.

She is admitted to practice law in California and the District of Columbia.

Capabilities

• Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort
• Litigation
• National Security
• White Collar Defense and Investigations

Credentials

Education:

• George Washington University - 2016 Juris Doctor
• Texas A&M University - 2010 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• California Bar
• District of Columbia Bar